Sunday, November 4, 2018

As a child from a primarily English-speaking home, Red Dot Diva has always fantasized of being able to watch South-East Asian tales on TV or in the movies which were spoken in English. Local TV dramas and sitcoms in the 1990's helped to bring Red Dot Island stories to the forefront, but international exposure was very limited.

It has been a long time coming, but in recent years, HBO Asia has been passionate about showcasing stories from this region to the world, and Red Dot Diva is always delighted to see and support the shows that they invest in.

Tonight, 4 November (Sunday), "Grisse", another new English language original series by the cable channel will be premiering at 9 PM. Set in 1800’s Indonesia, during the time when the Dutch East Indies were busy colonizing this region, the period drama has a unique look - a South-Asian story with an Old Western aesthetic, complete with all that dirt, dust, feisty heroines, and gun battles. The series is created by Mike Wiluan, and has eight 1-hour long episodes.

Step into the town of Grisse, and you will be greeted by people from different creeds and agendas. The Indonesian rebels have taken a stand in the gritty town, leading the way to eradicate colonialism and tyranny. Occasionally fighting alongside them are the factions consisting of the Chinese, and the "Half-breeds".

Saturday, March 3, 2018

Fans who enjoy gaming and anime are in for a treat this year and beyond.

SOZO, the organizer of Anime Festival Asia (AFA), Red Dot Island'slargest Japanese pop-culture event, has joined hands with Eliphant, the owners of Gamestart Asia. The two companies intend to use their newly formed alliance to power up on more gaming, anime and cosplay content in both of their shows held within the region. They have even moved to a new office premise together in order to consolidate their efforts.

As for AFA, there will be plans to add more gaming activities and content in their events. 2018 is also AFA's 10th anniversary for the Red Dot Island show, so there is definitely are going to be a host of celebratory activities happeing at the convention!

“Southeast Asia emerges as one of the fastest growing markets for gaming and content, we recognised that
both AFA and GameStart audiences have diverse interests in both gaming and anime. With our partnership,
we hope to work closely to bring even more exhilarating content and holistic experiences to both fanbases
across the regions,” said Shawn Chin, Managing Director of SOZO and founder of Anime Festival Asia.

“We are extremely excited to be able to bring our event to various regions, with the support of our partners.
We are determined to support the regional gaming industry, especially in esports and game development.
We are positive that our partnership will provide more events and enable us to bring awesome content to
both gamers and anime fans,” said Elicia Lee, founder of GameStart Asia and CEO of Eliphant Pte Ltd.

It is not too early to start working on your cosplays, and saving money to attend both Gamestart Asia and AFA later this year. Also, remember to keep a look out for more exciting announcements about their calendar of events on both events' official channels in the coming weeks!

Sunday, August 28, 2016

One of Red Dot Diva's favourite things to do in STGCC is wandering around Artist Alley. More of than not, there is a credible level of accessible and appealing artistic endeavours in that section of the show floor.

Red Dot Diva is excited to note that there are several new exhibitors and booths by local and regional creators in this year's convention. One of those exhibitors is HRJoe Photography.

Fans might be familiar with HRJoe Photography's cheeky superhero toy images, like the one show below. This photo has also been noticed and shared by Iron-Man himself, Robert Downey Jr. A couple of his other images have also been shared by the legendary Stan Lee!

With an increase in fan interest, HRJoe Photography has started boothing at various conventions, including Asia Pop Comicon Manila which just wrapped up yesterday. He will soon head to STGCC where he will be offering art prints for sale. After which, he has plans to exhibit at Italy's Festival del Fumetto in September and then back home for Indonesia Comic Con in October.

As you can see, HRJoe Photography has a very busy schedule ahead of him! So, Red Dot Diva is glad to be able to catch him for a few minutes to answer some nosy questions. And in case you are wondering, his name is not Joe!

Monday, November 16, 2015

Their latest Asian-based production, "Halfworlds" is set for a premiere date on 29 November 2015.

"Halfworlds" is HBO Asia's fourth production and Red Dot Diva really appreciates their constant effort to create as well as develop stories that are recognizably Asian but are also set to appeal to a wider audience. For those who have not caught up with HBO Asia's recent works, their first original title was "Dead Mine" in 2012, followed by their first prime-time series "Serangoon Road" and a four-part horror mini series "Grace".

An eight-episode supernatural thriller set in the dark and mysterious alleys of Jakarta, "Halfworlds" is about the Demits - a host of demons huddled in a covert society, who have lived among humans for centuries. When Sarah, a street artist uncovers the secret and tips the balance, a chain of events sets off, leading to a clash between the two sides.

Monday, September 22, 2014

The success of STGCC has spurred its organizer Reed Exhibitions to extend a similar blend of geeky fun and excitement to Jakarta later this year.

Reed Panorama Exhibitions (RPE) will be launching Indonesia Toy, Games and Comic Convention (ITGCC) at Hall C, JIExpo on 22-23 November 2014. This is the chance for Indonesian fans to get together and celebrate the
love of manga, toys, comics, exclusives and collectibles! As in the case in Red Dot Island, the show will give local Indonesian creative folks an avenue to showcase their talent and product. Familiar segments of the show like panels, Walk of Fame and cosplay runways will also be held at ITGCC.

“The launch of ITGCC is our next step to unite pop culture fans in Southeast Asia. After seven amazing editions in Singapore, we are glad to be able to bring the same excitement to Indonesia where all of loyal fans will have an opportunity to unite and enjoy the vibrant international content from the East and West,” said Ms Rita Magnus, Senior Manager, Project and Content, Pop Culture Cluster.